Mathematical game



A. TEGTIVIEYER AND L. SCHNEIDER.

MATHEMATICAL GAME.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 2, I921.

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MATHEMATICAL GAME.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan; IN), 1922.

Application filed July 2, 1921. Serial No. 482,058.

T 0 all to hom it may concern Be it known that W8,,,ARCHIE TEGTMEYER andLouis SCHNEIDER, citizens of the United States, residing at Milwaukee,county of Milwaukee, and State of Wisconsin, have invented new anduseful Improvements in Mathematical Games, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to improvements 1n games of that class in whichpuppets, disks, or cards selected by chance are placed upon a game boardin accordance with rules requiring skill and care in order to win overan opponent similarly engaged.

The objects of this invention are to. provide a game which is adapted topromote a study of the rudiments of arithmetic, to cultivate a habit ofrapid mental calculation, to foster'interest in mathematics, and to socombine requirements for mathematical skill with elements of chance asto equalize to a considerable extent, or render less appar ent,differences in skill between contesting players, thereby avoiding thediscouragement of the less skillful or proficient player and addinginterest and zest to the game by introducing unexpected conditions andinteresting situations.

A further object of this invention is to provide a highly interesting,innocent, com-- petitive game for children, adapted to promote rapid butunconscious mental development, particularly along mathematical lines.

The drawings illustrate certain embodiments of the invention in simpleform and particularly adapted for use by young children who arebeginning to study arithmetic although the invention as embodied in thedrawings is also capable of arousing great interest among persons ofmature age.

Fig. 1 is an illustration of a game board embodying this invention as itis prepared for use in promoting efliciency in addition.

Fig. 2 is a similar view illustrating an embodiment of this invention asit is used for the purpose of exercise in subtraction.

Fig. 3 is a similar view of a multiplication game board. 0

Fig. 4 is a similar view of a d1v1s1onal game board.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of a box containing a series of playing disks,cards, or puppets.

Figs. 6, 7 and 8 are illustrations of modified forms of puppets suchasmay be conveniently used by the players 1n connection with the gameboards illustrated in the first four views.

Various game boards are formed or constructed in multiple sets, aseparate board being used by each player. Each board in a set contains amultiple series of problems, the nature of the problem being indicatedupon the board in each instance. The acting player is, in each instance,required to select a puppet from the container or boX without beingpermitted to see the same until he has removed it from the box. Eachpuppet contains a numeral which may or may not constitute an answer toany one of the problems on the game board. The player is required toinspect the puppet, ascertain the numerical value thereof, and then byinspecting the game board, he must ascertain whether such numeralconstitutes an answer to any one of the problems on the board. If noneof the answers are represented by the puppet which the player holds,

he must discard it and wait until each of the other players has made hisplay before the first mentioned player can again act. lVhen puppets areselected which do represent an answer to one of the problems upon thegame board, the player, in order to obtain advantage of this fact, mustplace the puppet upon the game board in a position to indicate that itis the answer to such problem. Where a correct answer is thus placed,the player may be allowed by one Set of rules to select another puppetand to continue as before until he fails to properly place an answerbefore allowing the next player to take his turn. By another set ofrules, each player will be allowed to select only one puppet regardlessof whether or not he succeeds in finding an answer to any problem. Thenature of the rule, however, forms no essential part of the invention,the game being susceptible of being played under various rules,including a possible rule that an erroneous placing of one of thepuppets upon the game board requires the player to either forfeit a turnor to remove a puppet previously placed, in addition to the oneerroneously placed. Similar penalties may be provided for failure toplay within a definite limit of time.

Referring particularly to Fig. 1, it will be observed that the gameboard is divided by horizontal and vertical lines into rectangularspaces, the marginal space a constituting the title space. This spacepreferably contains the word Addition. Between this space andthe centralline 7), the intervening portion of the board is divided by alongitudinal line 0 and a series of cross lines or so-called verticallines cl into a longitudinally extending series of rectangular spaces 0below which there is another longitudinal series of spaces f which arepreferably square, or substantially so. Each of the spaces e contains .aproblem in addition and in Fig. 1 this problem is exceedingly simple andintended to be exceedingly elementary, the upper number 2 being the samein each instance and the lower numbers being in numerical order whenread from left to right with the value increasing by one in eachsuccessive space. Between the two numbers a plus sign is placedtofamiliarize the mind of the child with this sign as indicating thatthe lower number in each space is to be added to the one above. Thechild selects puppets from the container A, shown in Fig. 5, and thenascertains by inspection whether the selected puppet contains a numberwhich represents the sum of the numbers in any given space 6. If itdoes, he places the puppet in the square f immediately below such space.The puppets may comprise circular'cards or disks B as illustratedin Fig.5, square blocks C as shown in Fig. 6, cubes D as shown in Fig. 7, ortruncated pyramids E as shown in Fig. 8, the different views beingillustrative of the fact that a great variety. of forms may be adoptedwhen constructing the puppets.

In Fig. 1, the space below the center line b is similarly divided intorectangular spaces g containing problems similar to those contained inthe spaces 6 and below these spaces 9 there are answer squares h toreceive the appropriate puppets representing the answers to the problemsimmediately above. The game board shown in Fig. 1, therefore, containstwo games as indicated in the spaces 2' and along the left hand marginof the oard. These games, however, may be played asa single game ifdesired.

The game board shown in Fig. 2 is laid out in the same manner as thatshown in Fig. 1 and the corresponding spaces are indicated by the samenumerals with prime marks added. It will be observed, however, that thesign of subtraction or minus sign, is interposecl between the upperandlower nu merals in each of the rectangles e and g and the lowernumerals are in each instance of less or equal value to those above themin the same problem space. The space a preferably contains the wordSubtraction to additionally indicate that the problems contained on thisgame board are wholly composed of problems in subtraction.

The game board shown in Fig. 3 contains the word Multiplication in thespace 0."

derneath this, the game spaces '5' and j are located. The successiveproblems are displayed in the problem spaces a" and with the dividend atthe left and the divisor at the right in each instance, the divisionsign being interposed. The answer squares f' and h are at the right ofthe associated problem in each instance.

The above noted difference in the arrangement of the problems on thedivision game board is not essential, but it is desirable in that itmore clearly presents the problems in division, whereas if the numberswere arranged as in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, it would be more desirable topresent them as fractions and more advanced.

The drawings are in no sense intended to illustrate any but the simplerforms in which this invention may be embodied, there being almost nolimit to the possible variations in which mathematical problems may bepresented without departing from the principle involved in the game asabove described. By requiring rapidity of action on the part of theplayers, great proficiency will be speedily acquired by those who'becomeinterested 1n the game, and as each player becomes proficient in playingany one of the games, a s1m1- lar game board containing more complex 5problems may be substituted. n

It will be understood that while any one of the games may be played byrequiring the players to act in success1on as above described, yet thisis not essent al since the several players each have individual gameboards and in developing speed in calculation it will, particularly forthe more advanced players, be desirable to allow each player to fill hisanswer spaces with the cort rect answers as rapidly as he can, thewinner being the one who first fills all the answer spaces pertaining tothe game with the correct answer.

We claim:

1. A mathematical instructional game comprising a game board havingprinted thereon a series of mathematical problems and subdivided byruled lines which separate the problems from each other and pr0- videassociated answer spaces, the combination with a container and a seriesof puppets therein each provided with a numeral, some of said puppetshaving numerals each constituting the answer to one of the problems andothers having numerals which do not constitute answei-s to any of theproblems upon the board, whereby the player is required by mentalcalculation to determine whether the puppet in his possessionconstitutes an answer to any one of the problems and then place it inthe appropriate answer receiving space.

2. The combination of a game board subdivided by ruled lines in problemspaces and answer spaces and having problems printed in the problemspaces together with signs indicating the character of the problem to beperformed and a series of playing members, some of which have printedthereon answers to the problems on the board, each playing member beingadapted to be received in one of said answer receiving spaces wherebythe player who first succeeds in filling all of the answer spaces withproper answers may be regarded as the winner of the game.

3. The combination of a set of like game boards each subdivided by ruledlines into problem spaces and answer spaces, and a series of portablemembers bearing numerals, some of said members having nuerals whichrepresent answers to the problems and others having numerals which donot represent such answers whereby each player may be furnished with oneof said game boards and required to select the answer bearing members atrandom and then determine whether or not they can be utilized to fillany of the answer spaces on the game board.

ARCHIE 'IEGTMEYER. LOUIS SCHNEIDER.

